


Candy Says

by justalizardking



Category: Zootopia
Genre: Adoption, F/M, Love Story, New Parents, Parents, Short Story, newlyweds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 04:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9303533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justalizardking/pseuds/justalizardking
Summary: Just because a fox and a rabbit cannot biologically mate doesn't mean that they can't have children...right?





	

Nick grabbed Judy’s arm tightly; through her soft fur and thick foreskin, he could feel the slight and gentle pulse that roamed throughout her body. Judy responded likewise by grasping his paw tightly. The soft, silky, orange fur was smooth to the touch. It brought her a gentile and taming sense of comfort. The two of them stood outside of the shop, casting their sights inside-out of the property. Liquidation signs, balloons, and bright, flashing colors flashed before their eyes. All they needed to do was to take another ten steps. Ten steps that would thrust the two into a new, delicate chapter of their lives.  
“Well, let’s do this. You ready, honey bun?” asked Nick.  
“Ready as I’ll ever be. You have the adoption papers, right?”  
“Relax, Carrots. For the fifth time, I have them in my back pocket. They aren’t going anywhere.”  
“Right, right, sorry…I suppose I’m already becoming a helicopter parent, aren’t I?” mumbled Judy, scratching the tip of her left ear shamefully.  
“Nothing wrong with that.”  
Judy smiled, and catalyzed the walk. Ever so slowly the two waltzed into the gigantic complex. Although difficult to make out from the front entrance, the architecture reminded Nick of a beautiful jungle temple. Just another addition to the masterpieces of architecture scattered underneath the canopies of the Rainforest District.  
Instinctively, Nick leaned forward and swiftly opened the door for Judy when they arrived at the main entrance. Just like a gentleman should. After she set foot in the complex, he followed closely behind.   
Nick and Judy stepped inside an array of beauty. All around them, the inside of the center was flushed with jaw-dropping vegetation, arranged neatly into terrain that was compatible for nearly any small mammal to roam about; from the smallest mouse to the largest giraffe. The crisp, cleaned air was filled with the aroma of life and happiness. Children’s laughter could be heard in the gigantic, indoor playground. The only part of the center that had no area for mammals to roam was the front desk, which occupied the right-most part of the grand entrance. Waiting to greet them was a tiger, dressed in all white.  
“Wow, can you believe this?” Nick mumbled.  
“It’s…it’s incredible…I don’t know what to say!”  
Nick caught the reception desk from the corner of his right eye. The subtle movements of the tiger lured him over to the desk. Because he already grabbed a hold of Judy’s hand, she came along with him.  
“Hi, you two! How are you doing today?”  
Keeping his composure, Nick began by introducing the two.  
“Doing alright! My name is Nick, and this is my girlfr-”  
“FIANCEE!” interjected Judy.  
“…my fiancee, Judy. We’re here to pick up Caroline. Caroline…what was it? Reed? Yeah, Caroline Reed.”  
“Ah, so you must be Mr. and Mrs. Wilde, I presume?”  
“Yes, ma’am!” replied a confident Nick.  
“Alright…” mumbled the tiger as she keyed in a few words onto her laptop. While she was doing so, Nick caught a glimpse of her name tag, which initially blinded him thanks to a reflection from one of the fluorescent lights. Her name was Candy.  
‘Kind of an odd name…’ thought Nick.  
“Alright, do you have the adoption papers, proof of current address, and valid IDs for me?”  
Nick reached into his back pocket and pulled out a rather thick envelope. Labelled on the front, in large, red sharpie, was “ADOPTION DOCS”.  
“Here are those for you,” said Nick as he slid the envelope towards the tiger. While doing so, he nudged Judy to take out her badge, of which he was doing simultaneously.   
“Alright, let me run these in the machine in the back. If all goes well, I’ll bring back your new baby girl too! Just hang tight,” squealed Candy. Clearly, Nick and Judy were not the only ones ecstatic about the adoption. By the end of the day, they would have something they’ve dreamed of for a long time: their own child to nurse and raise.  
Nick nearly jumped up and down in excitement once Candy vanished around a nearby corner. He felt a viscous blend of adrenaline and oxytocin run through his body.  
“I can’t believe it, Jude! We’re finally going to be parents!” he cried out. Upon looking at Judy, however, he noticed a much less energetic and excited rabbit. In fact…was that a tear building up in her eyes?  
“Judy? What’s the matter? There’s no need to be sad!”  
The tear that built up in Judy’s eye dribbled down her cheek, onto her burgundy dress. She wiped off the residue and turned towards Nick.  
“I don’t know, Nick. It’s just that…what if we’re bad parents? What if I am a bad parent? We’re putting so much work and time into this adoption, but what if it turns out to be a flunk? What if Caroline doesn’t like us?”  
Judy nearly burst into more tears, causing Nick to get down to her eye level. He pulled her close and grasped her soft, warm, body into his hands, squeezing her like a toothpick.  
“Relax, Judy. I promise you, it’s going to be okay! Remember how I was on the phone with the adoption center earlier today? Well, that tiger was on the other line. Her name is Candy. And let me tell you, Jude, Candy told me that Caroline is extremely excited to meet us! She was an orphan for nearly seven years, and upon hearing that we wanted her, Candy explained to me that she cried tears of joy. Especially when she heard that we were cops! Did you know that she wants to be a part of the ZPD when she gets older?”  
Nick released the buildup of pressure in the hug and wiped another tear off of Judy’s face.   
“I…I heard about it,” she mildly chuckled.  
“There you go! We are going to be great role models for her. In all honesty, there is no other mammal in Zootopia that I’d want to adopt more than her.”  
“You promise that it’s going to be okay, Nick? I don’t want us to fail as parents…”  
“I promise, Judy.”  
Nick kissed her lips, while grasping the right side of her head in his rather large paw. Any runoff tears from the episode she was experienced were wiped away from her face, all thanks to the thumb on his hand.  
“Let’s take a seat on the bench over there,” said Nick pointing at a good resting spot to the right of the concierge. It faced opposite of the window, delivering a fantastic view of the orphan house.  
“I’ll go get the ‘welcome home’ present from the car, okay?” he added.  
“Mkay, I’ll see you soon!”  
Nick smirked as he headed towards the exit, car keys in his hand.  
Judy glanced around the lobby once Nick left, soaking in the surroundings. For some reason, however, she seemed to dwell on the What If? scenarios, a bad habit that deviated her away from the excitement of adoption. Despite Nick’s comforting words, which flowed from his sugar lips into her ears like sweet buttermilk, she still had lingering negative thoughts that would not go away.  
The doorbell rang as Nick reentered the center. A large, beautifully wrapped gift was in his right hand. He glanced at Judy and sat down right next to her, wrapping an arm around her tiny shoulder.  
“Doing better?” he asked.  
“Eh, sort of. I just want to see her…so badly.”  
“Well, just give it a few minutes, and I’ll bet will be wa-”  
The sound of a door opening from the opposite corner of the concierge interrupted Nick’s train of thought. Glancing over to where the sound originated, two figures walked out from where the corner was:  
Candy, the concierge, walked beside Caroline Reed, the eight-year-old ocelot. She wore a pink shirt inscribed with a heart. Accompanying the casual outfit was a pair of worn-out blue jeans.  
“Caroline, I would like you to meet your new parents: Mr. Nick and Mrs. Judy Wilde!” exclaimed Candy.  
Without even returning a response, Caroline dropped the backpack she was carrying and ran straight towards Nick and Judy. The couple stood up, side by side, and caught Caroline just as she wrapped her small, furry arms around her new parents. Caroline burst into tears of happiness once more.  
“Hi mom…hi dad…” her muffled face said to the two.  
Judy’s tears returned. Only this time, they were not tears of doubt or confusion. They were tears of happiness. Before returning Caroline’s answer, she glanced at Nick, who was also weeping tears of joy.  
“Caroline…I’ve waited such a long time to meet you!” said a choked-up Judy. She was fighting every nerve in her body to not burst into tears.  
Caroline squeezed the two tighter.  
“Candy says that you two are police officers…is that true?” she said after releasing the hug.  
Nick pulled out the gift from behind his back and gave it to an incredibly ecstatic Caroline.  
“We’re not the only ones who are cops,” winked Nick.  
“A present?!? No way! Thank you so much, mommy and daddy!”  
“No, please, call me Nick, Caroline. I’m not your biological father!” chuckled the fox.  
“No, you two are my mommy and my daddy.”  
Caroline ripped open the package, which revealed a junior police officer uniform, even equipped with a looks-a-like badge that resembled the ZPD.  
“I love it!!!” screamed the ocelot.  
Before even returning a thank you, Nick and Judy were once again wrapped in a warm, delightful hug.   
“I love you guys, so much!”  
“We…we love you too…Caroline,” wept Nick.  
Once the three embraced a sweet and warm hug, Candy dismissed them, giving Nick and Judy any legal documents before they ventured outwards.  
“Let’s go home,” said Judy as the three walked out of the adoption center. Both Nick and Judy held one of Caroline’s hands.  
“Let’s,” added Nick.  
The squad car, borrowed from the ZPD, awaiting the return of the three officers, glowed brightly in the evening sunlight. Although the bold statement of the lights, paint coating, and grill protector made the first impression incredible, only one thing caught the attention of Caroline’s eye:  
A banner that hung on the inside of the squad car. A banner flashed with neon light and colorful, children’s writing. 

Welcome home, Caroline!


End file.
